Indoor-Outdoor Entertaining – Expand Your Space to Socialize

Coming into the hazy, lazy days of summer, it’s the perfect time to invite guests to enjoy steamy summer nights, breezy starlit cookouts, and a nice cold craft beer with friends. Whether you enjoy al fresco dining, cocktail events with pals, or family-friendly dinners on the deck, a thoughtful remodel is the perfect touch.

Corvus Construction can help you expand your space for indoor-outdoor entertainment while increasing your home’s value with well-crafted construction.

Why go outside to dine?

One of the best things about get-togethers is food, but it can be hectic (and hot) to pile everyone into the kitchen or a crush to fit everyone into your dining room. By rethinking your kitchen, living, and dining space with an outdoor expansion, you can greatly increase the useful area of your home without adding on to the house in a structurally significant way. This means faster and more affordable results that can boost your enjoyment of your home.

Some things to consider when opening up your home…

How about an outdoor kitchen?

Sultry summer nights mean cooking indoors can be unthinkably hot, but making dinner on the deck seems dull if you can only grill. Think beyond the barbecue! Why not set up a complete outdoor kitchen? From counters to food prep, sinks and an oven, you can have a second kitchen outside.

These are great because when you have people over to socialize, you’re not stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun. You’ll be right in the middle of it with a well-designed project that makes food the focus while allowing flow and function.

Turtle Creek Estates by Bill Wilson is licensed under CC 2.0

Consider pizza on the patio

You might not want a full kitchen outside, but a brick pizza oven would be an amazing addition. You can cook classic pizza pies without heating up the whole house. Not only that, but you can use it year-round, not just the summer.

On cooler nights, what could be more fun than cozying up around the brick oven to keep your toes toasty while waiting on cheesy delights to bake? This is a perennial favorite with kids, teens, and adults of all ages for an outdoor entertainment expansion.

Brick oven by Alan Levine is licensed under CC 2.0

Do you have dozens for dinner?

Some people love to go big when they entertain, and that can mean dinner for a dozen (or more), but if you’ve got a craftsman cottage in Ballard, there’s no way you have that much room at the table. By moving your dining table outside, you can expand your guest list without bursting at the seams.

Patio and deck space can be elongated with ease to accommodate a large table that can seat a dozen or more people. Alternately, consider a squarish build-out where you can scatter several smaller café-sized tables for intimate seating even when you’ve got a crowd.

Materials to consider

No matter what you decide to do with your indoor-outdoor entertainment expansion, a seamless look is your goal. Just tacking on a bigger deck or a larger patio isn’t enough. First, you need ease of access to create flow from indoor spaces to outside. Second, you want visual flow. Consider these options.

Create easy access with large doors…

Sliding glass doors are old-school, but a wall of modern sliding glass without the 1970s vibe can look incredible. These let in light when closed and then open wide, so guests aren’t squeezing through a smaller door to enjoy the outside festivities.

Kitchen by Jeremy Levine is licensed under CC 2.0

Glass barn doors are something to think about – these oversized sliders can really amp up the ambiance. Some recent iterations are overlarge, seal at the bottom, but slide from above and have a picturesque wooden frame rather than metal edging that looks dated.

A wall of French doors or a custom array of sliding glass panels might work better for your aesthetics. Some newer glass doors collapse back into themselves and slide completely aside to leave a large space for moving indoors to outside.

Use the same elements inside and out…

Untitled by BelindaMariepix is licensed under CC 2.0

Consider materials that can be used inside and out to craft a seamless vibe. Reclaimed wood ceiling beams add a thoughtful reflection of the hardwoods from your yard and are also eco-friendly and a green component.

A one-of-a-kind rock backsplash looks amazing behind your sink or stove and can be carried outdoors to highlight features in your remodel for aesthetic consistency. Rock and slate elements are perfect components to consider for use inside and out from pizza ovens to patio fireplaces.

If you upgrade to granite countertops in your kitchen, you can use the same material outside for counters and sideboards. Granite must be sealed occasionally as it’s porous. But it’s durable and won’t stain or fade in the sun. Stick to lighter shades that won’t absorb heat and be hot to the touch.

Another material to consider is soapstone as it’s durable, stain and water-resistant, and is non-porous. You won’t have to seal or reseal soapstone if you introduce it for indoor-outdoor elements. It’s also safe and high-performing in an indoor kitchen and can stand the rigors of Seattle rain for outdoor use.

Another top choice can be concrete counters. These may fit well in a more industrial looking space depending on your other design elements. Concrete works well inside and out – as will most types of non-porous tile if you want texture, color, and more options than you can get with natural stones.

If you’re ready to spread your wings and create more space to cook, dine, and entertain indoors and out, call Corvus Construction to start a conversation and get a free in-home estimate for your project. Corvus is family-owned, one of the top-rated independent full-service general contractors in the Seattle area, and deeply committed to our community. Call Corvus at 206.355.4981 to get started.